The present invention relates to systems and methods for determining whether a person is intoxicated or otherwise under the influence of a psychotropic substance. The invention relates in particular, to systems for determining this through non-invasive means.
The dangers of having a person operate heavy machinery or operate a vehicle while under the influence of any psychotropic substance that may impede or otherwise impair that person""s coordination or concentration are well known. Such a situation may present a risk to both the operator as well as anyone in the vicinity of the operator. Systems for detecting psychotropic substances in a person have generally focused on the detection of specific drugs in the person. For example, certain systems have been developed to facilitate the identification of whether an individual is intoxicated by alcohol (e.g., breathalizer systems), but these systems are not typically effective with respect to other drugs and psychotropic substances. Other systems have been developed to detect whether a person has certain chemicals in their system (e.g., marijuana) to determine whether that person has recently taken the drug, but again, such systems are not generally effective against all psychotropic substances.
There is a need, therefore, for a system and method for detecting whether a person is under the influence of a psychotropic substance.
The invention provides a system for determining whether an equipment operator is under the influence of a psychotropic substance. The system includes an input unit for receiving signals from the subject regarding the frequencies of the subject""s brain waves, and for producing raw sample data. The system also includes a processing unit for processing the raw sample data, and for producing evaluation data responsive to the raw sample data and responsive to pre-recorded threshold data. The system also includes a control unit for providing a pass/fail signal responsive to the evaluation data to be used to control equipment.